During Jim Crow, Florida surpassed its southern counterparts in racial violence, leading the nation in per capita lynchings, with one in every 1,250 black Floridians falling victim to the horrific crime between 1882 and 1930. Jim Crow Florida, in fact, functioned as an apartheid society where whites enjoyed liberty, and blacks constantly feared for their lives. In this context, on March 20, 1960, Governor Thomas LeRoy Collins of Florida roused his state by condemning the South's racist practices and calling for measures that would promote integration. Collins' speech marked the start of his journey as a champion for civil rights after having subscribed to a segregationist stance for many years prior. Governor Collins demonstrated political courage by changing his policies regarding racial issues despite the risk to his political future in a state heavily committed to segregation.
LeRoy Collins, born in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1909, grew up "accustomed early to a segregated society." As Collins got involved in politics, he brought his segregationist views with him. In 1934, the 25-year-old Collins won a seat in Florida's State Legislature, where he voted against repealing Florida's racist poll tax. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he won a seat in Florida's State Senate. In 1954, Collins won a special election to become the 33rd governor of Florida.
In May of that year, in the case Brown v Board of Education, the United States Supreme Court had ruled that separate but equal facilities violated the Constitution. Collins entered office as racial tensions flared across the South. The Supreme Court decision proved decisive in Florida's 1956 Democratic gubernatorial primaries, where Collins had to prove his loyalty to often-racist southern masses while facing staunch segregationist candidates like Sumter Lowry. Collins, as the incumbent, promised to do everything in his legal power to uphold school segregation. While moderate compared to some of his opponents, Collins made an effort to convince white Floridians that he would sustain the state's racist institutions.
On February 2, 1956, Governor Collins reiterated his support of segregation, saying, "The people of Florida overwhelmingly desire a continuation of our long-established traditions of segregation. I stand firmly and squarely with them in this position." Florida's white voter base clearly approved of Collins' stance on this polarizing issue, as they elected him to a second term later that year.
During Collins' second term, he started to shift from someone who spoke frequently and decisively in favor of segregation to an avid advocate for integration. In 1957, he vetoed a bill advocating school closures in the event of integration. This shift culminated in March 1960, when, following the wrongful arrest of a group of black people at Florida A&M University, he called for "bi-racial committees that can take up and consider grievances of a racial character" in a televised speech. Discussions in these committees led to the peaceful desegregation of lunch counters, starting with 18 major Tampa stores in September of 1960. Collins' guidance and willingness to embrace change allowed Florida to escape much of the violent tensions that ravaged its neighbors.
LeRoy Collins showed political courage by calling on the people of Florida, who elected him into office as a segregationist, to reconsider their stances as he had done. By calling for bi-racial committees to mend the wounds of segregation, Governor Collins distinguished himself from his colleagues in State Houses across Dixie. While they were digging in their heels in response to the cry for racial equality, he bravely embraced change.
Collins' role in the 1965 march in Selma, Alabama, proved his continued dedication to Civil Rights. Following the tragedy of March 7, known as "Bloody Sunday," Collins, on behalf of President Lyndon Johnson, mediated between Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Governor George Wallace of Alabama. Collins formulated a plan for a second confrontation between Wallace's state troopers and King's marchers on March 9 that both sides could accept and that would prevent more bloodshed. Collins marched alongside King to ensure peace .
John F. Kennedy, Jr. writes in Profiles in Courage, "The third and most significant source of pressures which discourage political courage… is the pressure of his constituency, the interest groups, the organized letter writers, the economic blocs, and even the average voter.” While Dixiecrat Governors stood in the way of integration under pressure from their racist supporters, LeRoy Collins, under the same pressure, did what he saw as morally right. Collins' supporters voted him into office when he supported segregation. He understood the issue's divisiveness and knew that doing the right thing would likely alienate his voter base.
At first glance, it might seem that Governor Collins had little to lose politically by alienating his supporters. He was serving an unprecedented second term as governor, and Florida's laws prevented him from running again. In 1968, Collins ran for United States Senate and lost. Alienating his supporters to follow his conscience ultimately proved detrimental to his political career. Still, this consequence only cements his change of position on racial issues as a true act of political courage.
Like Sam Houston, Edmund Ross, and Lucius Lamar, whom President Kennedy commended in Profiles in Courage, Collins disregarded a mob opinion that he saw as morally wrong. Governor Collins differed from these men in that he had flipped on his issue. While Collins' previous support for segregation might tax his personal virtue, it only adds to the political courage of his statements regarding integration: His bravery lies not solely in his role in bringing an end to the Jim Crow era, but in his change of opinion. Change cannot occur if people refuse to admit error. The force of good in America can only prevail against evil when brave men and women maintain open minds. As American politics become increasingly polarized, LeRoy Collins exemplifies an elected official who set aside his pride and risked losing voter support so that he might effect real change.
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